Lithuania to Join EU Financial-Transaction Tax, Butkevicius Says

“Lithuania should become the 12th country to approve the
financial-transaction tax and join the enhanced cooperation
procedure, I hope, in January,” Butkevicius said today after a
meeting in the capital, Vilnius, with EU Tax Commissioner
Algirdas Semeta, his office said by e-mail.

The written statement was Butkevicius’s first since taking
office yesterday. Semeta, a former Lithuanian finance minister,
is a proponent of creating the tax for willing EU nations, which
he says would make the EU common market stronger and fairer.

Eleven countries, including Germany, France and Italy have
signed up to the tax, which will be drawn up by the European
Commission.